


Better?

by orphan_account



Category: Batman (Comics), DC Elseworlds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Green Lantern - Freeform, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Indigo lantern corps, Redemption, Rehabilitation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 23:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20266183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Bruce Wayne thought that he would be waging his wars against crime as Batman forever, but he was wrong. It seems like some things do change after all.





	Better?

Ace Chemicals 12:30 AM. 

The Joker broke into the plant again. For what reasons, Batman had no idea. With the Joker, he could never tell anyway. Sometimes he seemed to have genuinely dangerous plans, and other times, he didn't. Gotham's protector, of course, couldn't afford to take any chances. 

His ears picked up the clanging of the rickety metal of the fire escape. 

Batman looked up to see the Joker smiling while he tried to balance himself over a vat of acid. The clown nearly fell in several times. 

"Yoo-hoo, Batsy!" Joker called. 

Batman quickly sprinted up the stairs. Before he could make it, though, the Joker jumped. 

Quickly, the caped crusader shot a grappling hook toward the clown. Batman heard it wrap around his leg and give a pull.

Joker cackled like an idiot while Batman pulled him to safety. 

"I knew you wouldn't let me fall!" 

"Don't tempt me."

The clown continued to giggle and play with the rope while he was pulled back to solid ground. 

Joker's laughing was drowned out by the sound of rusty metal shifting. 

"This walkway is about to collapse!" Batman shouted. 

He grabbed for the Joker, but before he could make another move, he felt the rusty metal buckle underneath him. Seconds later, he was the one hanging over the vat of acid. 

"Ooh! You might want to cut down on all of those bat doughnuts old friend!"

Batman had gotten out of worse predicaments than this; he just needed to be able to reach his utility belt. 

While he was reaching for his belt, the rusty metal he was holding on to broke free. He quickly adjusted himself as he was free falling. The cape had a modified gliding mechanism that could get him to safety. 

"I'm coming, Batsy!" 

Too bad no one told Joker that. 

Without warning, the clown landed on top of him. Batman felt a knife trying to stab through his armor. 

"Stop it, you idiot, we're both going to--"

Before Batman could finish his sentence, he felt his cowl fly off of his face. 

Bruce's shocked blue eyes met the Joker's hungry emerald green ones, and the two stared at each other in shock. 

"Bruce Wayne? Batman is Bruce Wayne?" Predictably, what followed next was uproarious laughter. 

Bruce pulled the Joker to him and gripped hard as a signal to stop. The Joker responded by trying to stab him through the gauntlet, prompting Bruce to let go. 

The next sound was a sickening splat. Joker hit the ground before Batman was able to catch him. 

Bruce glided to solid ground and landed by the Joker's body.

Blood pooled around the body of the Joker, staining the concrete. 

Bruce cautiously approached, putting his gloved hand to the Joker's throat to check for a pulse. There wasn't one. Was the nightmare finally over? 

"Oh...my head!" The clown's eyes flashed open for just a second. Bruce still had his hand on his neck. The pulse was back ever so faintly. 

Joker flashed him a smile. 

"So, you finally decided to do it? Go on, what are you waiting for?" 

"You're hurt." It was more of an observation. 

"No sh**, Sherlock!" Joker's eyes then rolled back in his head, and he passed out again. 

With only a little bit of hesitation, Batman picked up the Joker's dying body and hoisted it into the Bat mobile. There wasn't any time to call an ambulance, and, given the clown's reputation in Gotham, it was unlikely he would get fair treatment anyway. 

Bruce winced about what he needed to do. 

"Alfred, prepare the med bay." 

"Right away, sir." 

Joker groaned softly in the back of the seat. Bruce watched him through the rear view mirror. 

Batman huffed a sigh and groaned to himself in frustration. 

_Why am I doing this? He knows who I am now. He'll be more dangerous than ever if I..._

Joker groaned again. 

_...I can't go back on the vow I made to my parents. I swore to serve and protect the people of Gotham, all of them, even him. _

The clown giggled softly. 

Images of Barbara lying in the hospital bed unable to move flashed through his mind. 

"I knew you wouldn't...

The countless bodies reduced to smiling corpses...mothers, children, husbands, families... 

"let me..."

Sarah Essen murdered in cold blood along with a room full of babies! 

"...fall." 

Jason's body, lying in a bloody pile in the Middle East. 

Batman slammed on his brakes and turned to the clown. 

Silence hung heavy in the air. 

"Hey, Bats, what's going on?" Joker asked. 

Batman turned to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. 

"Shut up! You're lucky I don't snap your chalky white neck!" 

"Ooh! It almost sounded like you meant it that time, Bats--Ow!"

Joker interrupted himself with a groan of pain. 

"I'm only doing this for Gotham!" 

The Joker let out a soft giggle. 

"Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself." 

"If I killed you, I'd be a murderer!" 

The clown giggled again. 

"What do you think I'm hoping for?" 

"Shut. Up." Batman let out a growl resembling a rabid animal. 

"Nya ha ha --ow!" 

Batman quietly smiled at the Joker's pain. 

\----

They arrived at the Bat cave. 

Alfred gave Batman a look of concern when he saw him without his cowl and a look of stern disapproval when he saw the patient. 

"I'll explain later." 

Alfred sighed. 

"No need, master Bruce. I'm sure you have your reasons."

Joker was laid on a cold operating table. 

"Be careful around his blood; it might be poisoned."

"I shall use the utmost care, master Bruce." 

Joker opened his emerald green eyes while they were still working on him. He let out another giggle. 

Bruce glared at him. 

"Mmh...thanks?" 

The clown passed out again. 

It took a few hours to patch the Joker up. He suffered a concussion and nearly broke his neck. 

Alfred had him on heavy anesthetic, almost an induced coma. 

"He'll probably be out for several more hours, sir." 

Bruce looked at the machines and read his vitals. 

Joker's eyes fluttered open, and his vitals went wild. The clown started softly giggling. 

"There's my knight in not-so-shining armor!" Joker said mockingly, "you know, Bats, I'd hate to be you. Having to go to these lengths to save the guy who you know is just going to break out of wherever you put him and cause all kinds of pain and suffering again and again and again. Some superhero you are! What do you think the commissioner would think if he saw this?"

Bruce administered more anesthetic, and Joker quickly became woozy and passed out again.

\---

The next stop was Arkham Asylum. Even though the Joker was still in pretty bad shape, Batman couldn't take any chances on letting him heal up in the Bat cave. He told the staff about his condition and stood by for a few minutes to make sure they took him to the medical wing. 

Joker slowly opened his eyes again. 

"Batman?"

The clown stretched as much as his restraints would allow. 

"You saved me again? Why?"

"I'm not a murderer." 

"Obviously."

Joker frowned. 

"Well, don't expect a 'thank you.'" 

Batman turned to leave. 


End file.
